But similar boardroom interference is exactly what happened to Borini at Chelsea, when he had the temerity at 19 years of age to stand up to Roman Abramovich over contract talks.

Having just made his first-team breakthrough under Carlo Ancelotti, who compared Borini to legendary Italian goal sniffer Filippo Inzaghi, the teenager was suddenly axed from the squad.

Time to deliver: Fabio Borini has yet to score for Liverpool in the league

‘Ancelotti told me that, above him, they didn’t want me in the first team,’ said Borini, now 21. ‘They said I had to play in the reserves because I hadn’t signed a new contract. It was a hard period for me and it wasn’t even the manager’s choice.’

Borini — nicknamed ‘The Pirate’ because of his trademark goal celebration — worked with Rodgers at Chelsea and Swansea before playing for Roma last season but has struggled to make an impact at Anfield so far. His debut was particularly painful when he ran into West Brom’s Liam Ridgwell, literally.

Heavy price tag: Borini was bought for £10m

‘I was left on the floor with some broken teeth and he was standing over me shouting,’ said Borini. Things are unlikely to be any more comfortable against the giants of Stoke.

Borini hopes Rodgers will eventually play him as a centre-forward rather than wide on the left, where he has been used so far.

‘I’ve always played in the middle. I find things come more naturally to me there,’ said Borini. ‘If the ball drops in the box, I can sense how it will bounce, what a defender will do. I can read it early, it is a kind of instinct. When you play wide, you end up far away from the goal.

‘Inzaghi was probably not the best technical player but always ran like crazy and was clever in scoring goals. I don’t mind the comparison because he won everything in his career.’

Borini has also been working hard in the gym to improve his strength. ‘Physically, it is harder in England. In Italy, we’d stand for an hour in training doing tactical work. You can’t do that here — the weather is too cold!’

Things should heat up on Sunday, though, if the young Italian breaks his Premier League duck.